HIV infection is independently associated with carotid plaque burden and echogenic characteristics

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease; however, evidence from Asian populations remains limited. We evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of carotid plaques among PWH and people without HIV (PWoH) in China to examine the impact of HIV infection on subclinical atherosclerosis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study conducted at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, China, we enrolled 1390 PWH and 1390 age-frequency and sex-frequency matched PWoH aged 40 years or older. Carotid ultrasonography was used to assess the presence, number and echogenicity of carotid plaques. RESULTS: The prevalence of carotid plaques was significantly higher in PWH than in PWoH (45.3% vs 37.5%, p